Retractible rosary



Feb. 19, 1957 J. BUFALINO, JR

RETRACTIBLE ROSARY FilGd July 6, 1954 1 1 INVENT R" arena 3&2 0

ino, Jr.

1% @Z M 43 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,781,591 RETRACTIBLE ROSARY Charles J. Bufalino, Jr., West Pittston, Pa. Application July 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,220

3 Claims. (Cl. 35-23) This invention relates to a retractible rosary.

An object of this invention is to provide a spring actuated reel disposed in a housing with a releasable resilient locking means for holding the reel against rotation, the reel having a rosary wound thereabout which may be extended or retracted as may be desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a retractible rosary, a magnetized cross which will adhere to a face of the reel housing.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved spring tensioned reel with a resilient locking pawl and an axial pawl releasing member having a transverse opening in which one end of the spring is mounted, the releasing member having a button at one end engaging in a depression formed in the housing.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawing and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a detailed front elevation of a retractible rosary constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates generally a housing which is formed of top and bottom walls 11 and 12, respectively, and opposite side walls 13.

The casing 10 also includes a dome-shaped or outwardly offset end wall 14, and a cap 15 telescopes into the casing 10 at the end thereof opposite from end wall 14. Cap 15 includes an outer wall 16 and a reduced inwardly offset portion 17 telescoping into the casing 10.

A reel generally indicated at 18 is rotatably mounted in the casing 10 and is rotatable on a shaft 19 disposed in the center of the casing 10. A coil spring 20 is disposed interiorly of the reel 18 and has the inner end thereof, indicated at 21, disposed in a longitudinal opening 22 which is formed in the shaft 19.

The opening 22 is longer than the width of the spring 21, the purpose for which will be hereinafter described. The shaft 19 has an annular flange 23 fixed thereto and shaft 19 is also formed with a polygonal stud 24 engaging through a polygonal opening 25 formed in the end wall 14 so that shaft 19 will be held against rotation but may be moved endwise.

End wall 16 of cap 15 is formed with an inwardly offset center portion 26 within which a partly spherical button 27 fixed to shaft 19 is adapted to engage. Button 27 is preferably magnetized, the purpose for which will be hereinafter described.

The reel 18 includes a side wall 28 which is formed with a series of openings or keepers 29.

A plate 30 is disposed in the casing 10 and is formed with a polygonal opening 31 through which the stud 24 loosely engages. The plate 30, as shown in Figure 3, is formed with a resilient pawl 32 formed integral with plate 30 and having a right angularly disposed bill 33 which is adapted to engage in a selected one of the keeper openings 29.

The pawl 32 is normally biased inwardly so that bill 33 will engage in one of the keeper openings 29, and the inner side of pawl 32 bears against the flange 23 so that endwise movement of shaft 19 by pressure on button 27 to the left, as viewed in Figure 2, will move bill 33 outwardly to disengaged position.

The outer end of spring 20 is formed with a hook 34 engaging in a recess 35 formed in the cylindrical wall 36 of reel 13. The reel 13 is adapted to have one end of a rosary 37 secured thereto with the rosary projecting through an opening 38 formed in the top wall 11. Preferably the opening 38 has a grommet 39 secured therein so that the rosary or flexible member will not be cut as it moves inwardly and outwardly with respect to the casing 10.

The rosary 37 includes a cross 40 which may be formed of metal attracted to the magnetized button 27, or in the event the cross or crucifix 4G is formed of wood, one or more iron elements may be embedded in the cross so that the cross will be held flat against the button 27.

When the rosary is not in use the heads will be substantially entirely wound on reel 18, as shown in Figure 2. At this time the cross 40 will be magnetically held against the magnetized button 27 When it is desired to extend the rosary, button 27 is pressed inwardly thereby moving bill 33 of pawl 32 outwardly to released position. Pull on the projecting portion of the rosary will rewind the rosary from reel 13 and will wind up the spring 20 about the shaft 19.

When a selected length of the rosary has been extended, button 27 may be released so that pawl 32 will engage an adjacent keeper opening 29. The rosary may be rewound on reel 15 by pressing button 27 inwardly and releasing the rosary so that it may move through the grommet 39.

The structure hereinbefore described will provide a means whereby the chain and beads of a rosary will not become tangled when carried in a purse or pocket, or when placed loosely in a pocketbook.

What is claimed is:

l. A retractible rosary comprising a casing having an opening in a side thereof, a shaft disposed centrally through the ends of said casing, one end of said casing having a polygonal opening and one end of said shaft being polygonal and slidable endwise through said opening, a reel in said casing rotatable on said shaft, a coil spring fixed at one end to said reel and at the other end to said shaft, said reel including a wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart keeper openings, a plate in said casing having a polygonal opening through which said polygonal end of said shaft loosely engages, a resilient pawl carried by said plate engageable in a selected one of said keeper openings, a rib fixed on said shaft and disposed between said reel wall and said pawl, a magnetized button fixed on the other end of said shaft exteriorly of said casing, and a rosary having one end fixed to said reel and projecting through said first-named opening, said rosary including a cross adapted to be magnetically attached to said button.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which a grommet is attached to said casing surrounding the opening in the side thereof.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which said casing is provided with a rear wall having a flange extending at right angles thereto and a front wall having a flange extending at right angles thereto, said flange on said rear wall being telescopically received within the flange of said front Wall.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Best Mar. 4, 1924 Bucher June 30, 1953 Rasmussen et al. Apr. 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS France Sept. 12, 1940 

